Nehemiah 6:9
What is your prayer life like? As we have studied Nehemiah, we have seen time and time again that Nehemiah was a man of prayer. Prayer was his first line of defense before any decision, and when under pressure from those opposed to his project. One might think someone would give up by now with all the opposition, threats, rumors, and accusations that Nehemiah had. Not to mention building walls around an entire city is hard work! We see, though, that when the going got tough, Nehemiah got tougher. He didn’t give up. Sanballat and the others were trying to trick Nehemiah. They thought he rebuilt the wall to start a revolution against them. We know this was not the case! Nehemiah did it for the safety of the people so they would have security and protection in Jerusalem. It was out of compassion for them and a way to restore honor and dignity to the people there. Nehemiah 6:9:
“They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”
Nehemiah's enemies used fear tactics to try to stop the building of the wall AGAIN. Nehemiah knew he needed God's strength to keep going. They wouldn’t let up, but neither would he. He goes to prayer, as he always did, and asked for God to strengthen his hands to keep the project going. He didn’t hit the panic button or throw his hands up in defeat; he prayed. The world and the enemy himself want followers of Jesus to fail and give up. I think of the tragic church shooting in Grand Blanc recently, and the threats that followed. The week after the incident, I was encouraged to see many people at our Grand Blanc Campus still come to worship the following Sunday. It would have been easy to stay home and let the scare tactics of the enemy take over our minds. After all, this incident was only a few miles from Emmanuel. Yet, many new and returning faces came through the doors on that Sunday. Of course, many behind the scenes were on guard and on high alert to be cautious like any other Sunday, but we continued to gather. There are times we need to ask for God's strength because we can’t do it alone. That was definitely one of those times for me. Every Sunday, I pray on my way to church for safety and protection, but that following week, I prayed even more, knowing more threats could come in our area. Just like Nehemiah, we too have opposition and pressure all around us. It's under the pressure that our faith comes to life, and we must trust God for what’s next. Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Whatever you're going through, bring it to God in prayer. He promises to strengthen you, and God can’t break his promises.
What is your prayer life like? As we have studied Nehemiah, we have seen time and time again that Nehemiah was a man of prayer. Prayer was his first line of defense before any decision, and when under pressure from those opposed to his project. One might think someone would give up by now with all the opposition, threats, rumors, and accusations that Nehemiah had. Not to mention building walls around an entire city is hard work! We see, though, that when the going got tough, Nehemiah got tougher. He didn’t give up. Sanballat and the others were trying to trick Nehemiah. They thought he rebuilt the wall to start a revolution against them. We know this was not the case! Nehemiah did it for the safety of the people so they would have security and protection in Jerusalem. It was out of compassion for them and a way to restore honor and dignity to the people there. Nehemiah 6:9:
“They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”
Nehemiah's enemies used fear tactics to try to stop the building of the wall AGAIN. Nehemiah knew he needed God's strength to keep going. They wouldn’t let up, but neither would he. He goes to prayer, as he always did, and asked for God to strengthen his hands to keep the project going. He didn’t hit the panic button or throw his hands up in defeat; he prayed. The world and the enemy himself want followers of Jesus to fail and give up. I think of the tragic church shooting in Grand Blanc recently, and the threats that followed. The week after the incident, I was encouraged to see many people at our Grand Blanc Campus still come to worship the following Sunday. It would have been easy to stay home and let the scare tactics of the enemy take over our minds. After all, this incident was only a few miles from Emmanuel. Yet, many new and returning faces came through the doors on that Sunday. Of course, many behind the scenes were on guard and on high alert to be cautious like any other Sunday, but we continued to gather. There are times we need to ask for God's strength because we can’t do it alone. That was definitely one of those times for me. Every Sunday, I pray on my way to church for safety and protection, but that following week, I prayed even more, knowing more threats could come in our area. Just like Nehemiah, we too have opposition and pressure all around us. It's under the pressure that our faith comes to life, and we must trust God for what’s next. Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Whatever you're going through, bring it to God in prayer. He promises to strengthen you, and God can’t break his promises.
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